Oddness
by DranzerShadowWanderer
Summary: A war story in an alternate universe I've had in my mind for the last few days. rated for graphic scenes criticism is welcome, especially with the character development.
1. Chapter 1

This story isn't really gundam wing, but it doesn't fit much else. You might find some traits of the characters hinting towards the g boys, but they aren't. Enjoy. Criticism welcome on all scales.

**Disclaimer: I don't own gundam wing or black cat or anything related to it (I used an idea from black cat, thats the only reason its in the disclaimer)**

Even the strongest in the universe have some kind of weakness. What is it? How can it be used against them?

These questions come up frequently in wars, particularly in the world of the west. Here in this world, wars constantly rage. No one keeps a calendar anymore, they simply wait out the wars living the way they always have. Its how they know to survive. However, war is never ending in one region, the black forest. Two armies constantly clash, polar opposites and mortal enemies. Their lords repeatedly send wave after wave, beating each other to the ground, and then rising again to battle some more.

The saddest thing is that no one may leave this region. All must assist their respective lord or serve in the army. Children water the horses, women cook and repair clothing; men grow the crops, make the weapons, and serve in the army. In this time, women and children weren't allowed to serve as soldiers, only the men and young boys. A boy became a man at 16, and left to serve in the army. Boys left at 8-10. Almost nobody ever returned alive. It's been this way since the beginning of time.

When did I leave again? It's been so long, it's hard to remember. Two, maybe three years? Then again, I haven't been discovered yet. Yes, it was a forbidden act I committed; I enlisted in the army, even though I am unable to normally. These buffoons wouldn't know an imposter from a chipmink. Then again, none have minds anymore, their mission drilled mercilessly into their souls; kill the enemy, take no prisoners.

Why do I still have my mind? I truly don't know why, guess I was lucky. There are a few others who retain some portion of their former selves. I am the leader of our little group, the ice hawks. Since we're the most silent of the soldiers, we are given stealth missions constantly, mostly scouting but occasionally assassinations. There are five of us, with varying talents. Some call us ninja, others messengers or scouts. None of those names really suit us, I'd call us 'bringers of destruction'. Well, that at least applies to me.

I have no name, and neither do my partners. We simply use our numbers to identify each other. For instance, I am #13.. Since it's a pain to write down the numbers, they were branded upon our skin in foreign numerals, slightly below the shoulder blade.

* * *

Tonight would be no different from any other mission, or so we thought… 

"Ice hawks, status."

"Proceeding towards target, no disturbances"

"Copy that 13."

"This is 41 here, nothing above the trees."

"56 checking in, nothing underground."

"15. I'm approaching the target, nothing yet."

"Copy that ice hawks. 02, report."

-crackling-

"02, report! 02!"

"zzz… huh, wah? Oh. 02 here. What's the problem?"

"…nothing. Proceed with mission."

"Rodger that chap."

"…who's got the migraine meds?"

Tonight we were after a precious object in the enemy camp. A sword what could cut the seas in two. In foreign culture, there was a story of a man who split the sea to allow convicts to escape. Impossible by normal means, this sword was what the world of the west's culture believed to be what actually split the seas.

"Hey, 13. Why so gloomy?" 02 appeared at my side, grinning broadly. I fought the idea of punching his lights out.

"Shut up. You're noisy." I hissed, catching him in one of my classic 'glares of death'.

"Yeeshie, trying to be friendly won't kill ya, ye hear?" 02 vanished among the trees, moving with the stealth of a leopard. I managed to keep a lid on my temper, but just.

When we reached the fortress, 02, 41 and 56 scouted the area, setting up traps to distract the guards from around the sword. 15 kept a lookout while I waited, a watch in the palm of my hand.

3…2…1…

BOOM 

As the guards rushed past to where one of 02's 'homemade' cherry bombs had gone off, I sprinted to the complex, easily broke the lock, slipping inside.

"Infiltration successful."

"Good work 13. Keep going, and don't stop until that sword is in your possession."

"…mission accepted."

I knocked out a passing guard, taking his identification and uniform before stowing the unconscious man in a closet. I managed to find my way to the sword easily, following the blueprints of the building installed as a map in the contacts I wore. Taking a deep breath, I stepped into the room.

"I came to relieve you. Boss' orders." The guard stared at me for a moment, then bowed, taking his leave. This couldn't have gone any smoother in my opinion. Turning to the sword, I gently lifted it from its display-

BEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEP!!!!!!!!!!!!

"!" how naive of me, forgetting the idea of an alarm. Baka…

"13! What's happened?"

"Aborting mission, I have the sword. Retreating now."

"Hurry!"

I sprinted down the halls, towards the exit. Guards were coming from everywhere, the door was closing-

"Get moving slowpoke! I'll hold em off a bit!" 15 appeared at my side, his sword unsheathed and a dangerous glint in his dark eyes. I managed to roll under the door in time, tearing the uniform in process.

A strange mist had filled the halls, making it harder to see. I kept running, but for some reason… it was harder to breathe.

'…paralysis gas!' I struggled to the side of the hall, feeling for a window. Finding one, I flipped up, shattering it with both feet as I rolled outside.

Gasping for breath, I lay wherever I was, my limbs too heavy to move. The next thing I knew, the back of my head had erupted in agony, then blackness…

"Come in 13. 13, report. 13!"

**Author's Note: I have the first four chapters made already, but I need ideas. thank you. **


	2. Chapter 2

disclaimer: read first chapter

"I still can't believe 13 was captured." The lord said, shaking his great shaggy head.

"He was a good soldier, his team one of the best."

"A noble sacrifice…"

"…" the generals turned to face 41, who leaned against the wall of the tent, one green eye visibly livid with pent up annoyance.

"Something to say?" the lord asked. 41 shook his head no, turning on his heel and disappearing.

"So? What are they going te do with us?" 02 asked his comrade. 41 shrugged, he rarely spoke among anyone.

"All we can do is hope that 13 survived." 15 growled, looking away from his comrades. 26 sat in a corner, silence only broken by dry sobs. The others glared at 56 with quizzical looks.

"Quit crying. We can't do anything unless 13 returns." 15 snapped fiercely. 56 curled up tighter into the corner, eyes widened with terror.

"Jeez, lay off 15, 56 is just a bit nervous. Right?" 02 nudged his comrade's shoulder. 56 wiped his red eyes on his sleeve, nodding.

41 gazed at the ceiling, oblivious to the other's constant talk.

'What had happened to bring down the best?' he wondered.

A bright light shined on 13's closed eyes, then moved. His mind was muddled, confused, dazed from the wound on his head. Liquid was dripping close by, but he couldn't pinpoint where. Every time he became conscious, he would faint again from the constant agony of his wounds. All he knew was the agony, and endless ideas of torture going through his mind.

Blood pulsed in his ears, ringing throughout his sore body in some crazy rhythm. He finally managed to open one eye without passing out from bright lights. The room was dark, save for a small rectangle of muted light and a rhythmic beep…a heart monitor if his ears weren't playing tricks. 13 turned his head very slightly, taking in the room. Various beeps were heard, some lit screens barely visible in his limited view.

He tried to open his other eye, but it seemed 'stuck', the lids wouldn't move. The arm that could move scuttled slowly up the linen feel until it reached his face, then his eye. The lid seemed glued shut with sticky liquid, strangely empty underneath. 13's mind repeatedly sent signals to the closed eye, but no movement, not even a twitch of the lid.

'What the…' it clicked within a few seconds. His eye was gone, the nerves severed. 13 swore mentally, he must have been in battle or something.

When 13 tried to sit up, pain shot through his body, causing him to cry out, falling back just to black out as his head wound struck the table to which he was lying upon.

The door opened moments later to reveal three uniformed soldiers and one panicked doctor. The doctor rushed over, examining 13's prone form.

"Concussion, he might suffer damage to the brain, since the skull is cracked and quite tender. Ooh, looks like he hit his head again, this won't be easy to explain." The doctor turned to the soldiers "please, let me move this one to a better facility, he's bound to die of internal bleeding inside the skull. Please!"

"Orders from the top, no treatment for the enemy, no matter how injured." One replied grimly. The doctor turned back to 13, eyes glazed with worry, then turned back to the soldiers.

"Well tell this to your 'top', if this boy doesn't get treatment within 24 hours, they'll have no one to interrogate." The doctor turned, storming from the room, muttering about ruthless generals and their over inflated egos. The soldiers turned to follow, but one stayed behind.

"No idea when he'll wake, he's probably dangerous. I'll watch im." The others nodded, and left, the door sliding shut. The soldier turned to the lifeless boy on the table, pulling off the dark helmet. Long red hair spilled down, revealing 'he' to actually be a 'she'. The girl knelt, placing a cold hand on the boy's neck. He had a pulse, but it was weak, and growing weaker.

"Don't worry kid, I won't let you die. I swear I won't." she whispered.

The girl managed to hide her long hair under the helmet, then departed, dimming the lights.


	3. Chapter 3

"Gah! I lose again!" 02 cried out in annoyance. He had just lost to 41 in yet another game of chess. On their limited down time, mostly they played strategy games or rested for their next mission. 15 glanced up from his book, giving his teammates a quizzical look over his reading glasses. 56 sat near the window of the safehouse, gazing blankly into space. 41 simply smirked, 02 was probably the easiest opponent to read, especially when he thought out his moves out loud.

A knock on the door put all of them on guard, each pulling a hidden weapon. 02 threw open the door, ready to fill the intruder's head with lead, but…

Instead of an intruder, a cloaked figure stood there, shivering from the cold. All four stared at the stranger, then each other, then back to the stranger. It seemed strangely lopsided, the glints of its eyes dull. Without warning, the figure collapsed right into 56's arms, knocking him down.

"Oi! Uh, are you ok… holy ra!" the figure rolled off, leaving bloody splashes on 56's light clothes. Instantly the others assisted carrying the prone figure inside, retrieving bandages, water, and cloth for cleaning.

Two hours later, the figure lay in 13's empty bunk, sleeping soundly in oversized sweats. The four remaining ice hawks watched the figure sleep, amazed that it had survived with such blood loss. From what 02 had said, the stranger had been shot with both bullets and arrows, most of which hadn't closed. Add that to a couple of broken bones and frostbite on the fingers and toes, this person was lucky to still be alive, especially in the middle of winter. 02 and 41 had administered first aid to the stranger, while 15 gathered supplies. 56 had vanished from view, but no one minded, he did that when something was bugging him.

The thing was that only 02 and 41 knew this person's identity; an enemy soldier, most likely a deserter that crossed the boundary in broad daylight. Te figure's insanely long brown hair was matted with blood, forest pieces and grime, its thin frame barely covered by muscle.

"02, is this one related to you? Looks girly enough." 15 sneered, ducking a punch to the head. 02 glared at him.

"Better to have long hair then a mini pony." He scoffed back "Maybe I should lop it off." He held up his pair of scrap booking scissors, grinning maniacally. 15 knew his comrade was fond of his long hair, but knew not to push the scissors wielding maniac more. It was fun to tease him about it though. 41 sighed, shaking his head and going back to his book 'How do live with a bunch of gun wielding idiots'.

The redhead had somehow managed to be appointed for keeping an eye on the prisoner, and the doctor. She knew the doctor would do anything to treat the kid, and was willing to assist in any way.

"Any improvements today?" she asked, walking up to the table. The prisoner lay on his stomach, a bunch of lights shining on the matted portion of the back of his skull. The doctor shook his head no.

"It's badly cracked; I doubt I'll be able to glue it back together. He bleeding heavily still, but I'm sucking it out as fast as the machine will go." He indicated the pump and the red tube. "I'm worried. Unless someone knows healing magic by some sort of heavenly chance, he's done for." The girl bit her lip, thinking hard.

"What about the lord's healer?"

"Are you trying to get killed off? The lord doesn't let that one out of his sight!" the doctor cried. He rubbed his temples with frustration. "There's got to be a way, there has to be." He muttered as the girl slipped out into the night. She snuck to the healer's tent, waited till the guards left, and silently entered.

"W…who are you?" a voice asked for the corner. The healer, she noticed, was but a child with silver hair, light blue eyes and the appearance of a cat. She kneeled, smiling sweetly.

"I'm a guard, but I won't hurt you, I promise. Are you the lord's healer?" she asked. The cat-child nodded a large book on remedies in its lap.

"Y…yes. A…are you he…here to t…take me to h…him?" it stuttered, shaking with fright. She crawled closer to get a better look, but the child shrank into the shadows, shivering violently. Through its thin clothing she could see whip marks on its skin, and deep bruises shaped like large human hands on its shoulders and neck.

"No, I'm here to ask a favor. There is a soldier on the brink, only magic can save him now." She said. "Please, help him, please." The child looked up at her, its gray cat ears flicking back and forth.

"…I…I'll try…" it finally whispered, moving the book off its legs. With the girl's help, he managed to stand, wavering on thin limbs. She covered him with her cloak, scooping him into her arms, and departing from the tent.

"Stop right there!" she froze as a soldier strode towards her. "Where arte you headed with that bundle?"

"Laundry sir. My linens are soiled." She replied in a deep voice. The soldier poked the bundle hard with the blunt end of the spear he held, hitting the child in the side.

"Bit hard for linens, don't ya say?" he sneered, leering in her direction. Luckily a voice called the soldier away. "I'm watching you…" he growled, hurrying away. Sighing deeply, she sprinted to the cells, locking the door behind her. Depositing the bundle gently on the ground, she unwrapped the cloak to find the child in pain, holding his side with teary eyes. Obviously a broken rib, she mused.

"Can you move kid?" she asked. He nodded, getting up shakily and following her to the table, which was above his nose. The girl lifted him up, setting the cat/kid on her shoulders. He gasped at the sight.


	4. Chapter 4

The prisoner lay still, the wound on his head still wet with fresh blood, and more dripped down his neck and back. The doctor was nowhere to be found.

"He must have been discovered…" she said, noticing the mess. The child slid off her shoulders, kneeling on the table, eyes racing over the wound with precision.

"damn it, don't you soldiers ever think of others when you're fighting?" he growled "broken bones, major concussion, cracked skull, blood loss, internal bleeding…you guys get points for brutality, that's for damn sure." The cat/person healer said, turning around to sit on the table, his short legs dangling off the edge. The girl was shocked to hear such a young child swear, but she agreed with him. "Miss?" she turned "In that cloak, there's a book. Can you please get it for me?" she nodded, retrieving the heavy volume. The boy took it, wincing from the pain of his rib, leafing through the pages until he found what he was looking for. "Please back away, it might get messy." He warned, turning to his patient. The girl backed to the wall; watching the small child speak a spell, then vanish into a stream of light.

Hours later, the light vanished, and the boy fell backwards off the table, only to be caught by the girl. He looked up at her, smiling faintly, tiny fangs protruding from underneath his upper lip. Dark circles ringed his dull eyes, the healthy glow of his skin barely showing now.

"I did it…he's gonna…be ok…" he turned away, burying his face in the crook of her arm, blacking out. The girl looked fondly at the little healer, smiling sadly.

"Thank you, little one. You are truly a hero."

56 woke with a start, breathing hard. He clutched his chest, looking around wildly. He remembered, he had hidden from his teammates to avoid them asking questions if he collapsed again. He sighed deeply, the pain in his heart had lessened significantly; 13 was going to be ok. He could sense it.

'Thank you…' he thought 'for keeping our friend in this world'.

Knocking on his door dragged him out of his daydreams. The door opened to reveal 02 and 15 in the doorway.

"Ya ok? Ye didn't look so good yesterday." 02 remarked. 56 grinned sheepishly.

"Yes, I'm fine. Bad meat. I must have had a reaction or something." He smiled. "Really guys, I'm fine." The others nodded then turned out of the room.

'13, please come back soon. We're all waiting for your return…' he prayed.

I don't remember…

No.. I don't remember…

Who am I? Where am I?

What's wrong with me?

I… I can't move…

What's going on…

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Something…wet?

Blood? Water? What is this…?

Ehh… salty…wait……t…tears?

Whose tears? Mine? Or someone else's?

It hurts…

What's wrong with me…

It…hurts…aaahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!

The girl stirred from her sleep, hearing a faint cry of pain. She jumped to her feet, drawing her gun, only to find the boy on the table thrashing in his sleep. She quickly caught hold of him, cradling him in her arms, despite his unconscious flailing.

'Calm down… please… calm…down… ahh!' the boy had somehow managed to hit her hard in a long time bruise, causing her to cringe in pain. 'Calm down. I'm not going to hurt you… please… trust me…'

As if understanding her words, the boy went limp in her arms, drifting back into a deep sleep. The girl released him, one hand on the bruise. The healer stirred from the cloak bed, looking around sleepily.

"What's goooooiiiiiiiiinng on?" he yawned.

"Nothing. Just a bad dream. Go back to sleep." She said, going back to where she had been, drawing her knees close, sleep overtaking her.

The soldier the ice hawks had rescued the previous day awoke in the late afternoon, dazed, but alert. Looking around, he noticed 41 sitting on a stool close by, a book open in his lap.

"Ugh… where am I?" he asked weakly. 41 glanced up momentarily, then returned to his book.

"…our base. Who are you? Why are you here?"

"…got…shot…tired…shelter…" 41 nodded silently, logging the info away for later use.

"You should rest, your body took quite a beating." The stranger nodded, turning away while trying to curl up, but his wounds pained him badly. Sleep was easy though…

When I woke, I had absolutely no idea where I was. Darkness always seemed on the edges of my vision, waiting to gobble me up again. My body hurt everywhere; even my eyelashes hurt. I knew one thing though; I had survived whatever had happened to me.

I came to, barely able to open my eyes; one seemed 'stuck'. Must be some glue on my face or something. Turning my head, I looked around, confused.

"Ah, you're awake. Glad to see that, the little guy should be glad too." A voice, familiar yet… not. It's a female, pretty young from the sound of her voice, but with a faint deepness. Odd.

"Who…a…are you?" my own voice sounds awful, like a rusty saw.

"A friend. That's all you need to know. Now rest, you need your sleep."

"Ah…w…where am I?" I whispered, willing my rasp not to crack.

"A safe place. I shall protect you with my life, don't worry." The voice is kind to me, I feel safe…for some reason. Who is she?

I'll think about it later…I'm sleepy……zzz…


End file.
